Some people think that dating two people at once is the same as cheating—but let’s be clear, it’s not. Dating and relationships are different. Dating is when two people are romantically interested in each other and are still trying to know more about each other. Dating is the first step to being in a relationship. Meanwhile, a relationship is when two people have been dating for some time, and now they have decided to be dedicated to their relationship and make it official.

Right at the beginning, define boundaries and clearly, state what you want. When you are meeting someone, tell them if you’re looking for a casual or long-term monogamous relationship. It may sound less important, at first, but when people always don’t mean when they say they want to have a committed and a monogamous relationship. A lot of relationships have been dismissed because the individuals have different expectations and wanted different things.

The dating phase shouldn’t be for a long time. If you’re dating two people at the same time, and avoid all immoral and disrespectful behavior, then, you aren’t cheating. But, remember, not to be dating two people for long. When you meet someone you like, then it won’t require you more than a few weeks or a two months, to seal the deal and begin a monogamous relationship with that person. But during the initial dating phase, there is nothing wrong with keeping your options open and going to dates with two people at once. But end it, after you have met the person you’ve been looking for and decided to establish an emotional and committed relationship.

If you're thinking of being in a relationship, by skipping the dating process, then you might be making a mistake. These individuals when they meet someone they like, they instantly decide to be in a committed relationship. And the reason for this is that after dating for a couple of months after meeting someone can be awkward and invoke anxiety in both. They wonder if he or she is dating someone else or is there someone he’s dating who is better than me and such, and it all boils down in feeling insecure. If you feel secure, the less you will be stressful about finding someone else who might be a better match than you.

People with high self-esteem believes that they are a good match and they focus in finding out if the person they’re dating willing to be with them for a long-term relationship. They care less if the other person likes them or not. While, it’s the opposite for the person with low self-esteem, who constantly think how the other person feels about them, or whether they will ditch them and go for someone else better than them, in case they’ve been dating two people at the same time.

Don’t be worried or feel insecure, if you think the person you’re dating now might be going on dates with two people at once. Keep your confidence high, believe yourself that you’ll be a good match, and if the other person sees that, they will choose me. And if that doesn’t happen, there’s nothing to lose. I still have my self-esteem intact, and just because someone didn’t want to be with me, doesn’t make me any less.

After all, how can a person judge you if they had only a couple of months to know you?